Apr 21, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Easter Monday
First reading Acts 2:14,22-33
On this Easter Monday, the Church invites us to remain in the radiant light of the Resurrection and to listen anew to the testimony of St. Peter in the Acts of the Apostles. Standing before the people, Peter does not rely on vague sentiment or personal conviction alone to proclaim his faith. He grounds his proclamation in the Scriptures and in the lived reality of what he and the other apostles have seen and touched. The Risen Christ, he declares, is the fulfilment of God’s promises, the One who conquered death and now pours forth the Spirit upon all who believe. This bold and reasoned defence of the Resurrection teaches us that Easter is not a mere symbolic celebration, but the unveiling of the deepest truth of human existence: that Christ, once crucified, now lives forever, and in Him, life has triumphed over death. The light of Easter shines not only into our emotions but into our understanding, enlightening our minds to grasp the mystery of God’s redemptive plan. It calls us to move beyond surface-level faith and to embrace a deeper, more anchored hope, one that is founded on the Word of God and the witness of the Church. In this light, we begin to see all things differently—our past with mercy, our present with courage, and our future with unshakable trust. Let’s reflect: Easter is an invitation to confront the reality of the Risen Christ not with emotion alone, but with faith illumined and fortified by the Word of God.
Don Giorgio
Apr 19, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
- The wall of the Tomb of Christ is now a door
The Resurrection is not a metaphor — it is a cosmic event, a divine uprising. Christ did not simply return from death — He overthrew death itself. He broke its grip from the inside. On Holy Saturday, death believed it had won. But Christ descended into its depths not as a victim, but as a redeemer. He shattered the gates of Hades and led the captives into freedom. He demolished it from inside. And now He walks out, not wounded but glorified, not defeated but enthroned.This is not resuscitation — it is new creation. The Risen Christ does not return to the past; He opens the future. He is the firstborn of a glorified humanity, whole and eternal. His Resurrection is not a display — it is an invitation. If death has lost its sting, then everything shifts: our fear, our grief, our mortality. The tomb is no longer a wall. It is now a door — into life, into glory, into God.
- The Silence of the Tomb is now the Eloquence of Eternity
The silence of the tomb has been broken — not with noise, but with eternity. The stillness of death gives way to the roar of resurrection power. The stone is rolled away not to let Jesus out, but to let us in — into the radiant reality where life conquers death forever. More than that, the stone is rolled away from our hearts. The barriers we built, the fears we’ve buried, the graves we carry inside — they crack open as the glory of Christ breaks through. The empty tomb is not a riddle to be solved but a message to be proclaimed: He is not here — He is risen. From that moment, history splits. Light invades darkness. The Church becomes the echo of the empty grave — a people who carry resurrection wherever fear and death still reign. We are not just witnesses; we are messengers of the victory no tomb can silence.
- The stillness of the death is now the life of Christ Risen
If Christ is truly risen, then despair has been dethroned. Sin, suffering, and death do not get the final word. The final word is life. The final word is Christ. On this night, light shatters the shadows, and the Church cries out: Lumen Christi — the Light of Christ. And this light is not delicate. It is defiant. It pierces tombs, breaks chains, and rewrites stories. It speaks to every wounded place: You are not forgotten. You are not beyond healing. You are not beyond hope.The Resurrection tells us that no grave is permanent. That no shame is eternal. That no night is forever. Christ is not only risen from the dead — He is risen into us. Into our history. Into our hearts. Into the wounds we thought would never speak again. This hope is not a dream but a Person, radiant and risen, , who lives in our midst and who takes from night to light, from fear to trust, from death to life.
The Cross was not the end — it was the threshold. And now, we must rise with Him.
Don Giorgio
Apr 18, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Good Friday
Readings Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Hebrews 4:14-16,5:7-9.
At the hour when power seems to triumph, God chooses the Cross as His throne and exposes the lie of every ego that claims victory through strength. This is not passive suffering—it is radical mercy. On Golgotha, Christ does not merely die; He changes the course of history. Every lash He bears, every nail that pierces, every cry He utters is a strike against the dominion of sin, violence, and death. The crucified Christ unleashes His love unto the end. The world mocks, “Come down from the Cross,” but He stays—not because He is powerless, but because He refuses to save Himself while we remain enslaved. On this day, we do not mourn a martyr—we fall before the pierced God who overturns justice with mercy, power with sacrifice, death with surrender. The Cross is not the end of hope; it is the apocalypse of false hopes. If we call ourselves His disciples, then we must not only gaze upon the crucifix—we must take it up. For Good Friday is not a day to pity Christ—it is the day He calls us to die with Him. To die to the comforts. To die to the controls. To die to the illusion that holiness comes without wounds. This is the hour of truth, and the Cross is the only pulpit from which love speaks without compromise.
Don Giorgio
Apr 18, 2025 | NEWS
After beginning our mission on the island of Flores in Indonesia in 2024, we are delighted to have been able to build our first mission house there. Initially, the sisters and three young women who want to join our congregation lived in a small house with the Steyler Missionaries (SVD). Father Tadeusz, a Polish missionary who has lived on the island of Flores for over 60 years and has built many facilities, schools, hospitals, and other institutions there, made this house available to us. He also helped us with the purchase of a plot of land and the construction of our mission station. This enabled the Superior General, Sr. Sybilla, and the Vicar, Sr. Petra, to stay in the newly built house and live with the small community during their visit to Flores from April 1 to 23, 2025.
The house is not large, but the sisters and candidates (there are now four) have their own small living quarters. There is a small chapel, a kitchen, a refectory, and one guest room. The grounds, on the other hand, are quite large, and further buildings are planned in the hope that the small community will grow and young women will want to join us. The sisters grow vegetables on the grounds, which is very helpful for their daily needs.
The sisters are already active in the parish. They help distribute Holy Communion, which is necessary during Sunday services, as the large church is often filled to capacity. Over 90 percent of the population of Flores is Catholic, and the people there take their faith very seriously. After Sunday Mass, the sisters also bring Holy Communion to the sick and elderly, and it is touching to see how much the people look forward to this visit. This has already helped us establish good contacts with the local people. The local residents and the parish are very happy that our congregation has started its mission here, and they are proud of it. They are open and helpful towards the sisters, so we look to the future with hope, trusting deeply that God’s blessing will accompany our small community and enable it to be a blessing for the people of Flores.
Apr 18, 2025 | NEWS
Due to an acute shortage of sisters and the advanced age of the sisters in the German region, the leadership of our congregation was forced to close St. Hedwig Convent in Cochem after 72 years of service by our sisters at this location. At the end, there were only three sisters living in the convent, aged 70, 86, and 94. Two of them were cared for in the residential area of the nursing home.
On March 14, 2025, a festive farewell and thanksgiving service was held in the chapel of the St. Hedwig nursing home to mark this occasion. In addition to the regional superior, Sr. Cordula, the general superior, Sr. Sybilla, and the vicar general, Sr. Petra, also attended. The facility management, many employees, residents and their relatives, the mayor and residents of the town of Cochem also came to express their regret at the departure of the sisters, but also their gratitude for their many years of service. For most people in Cochem, the sisters are an integral part of the townscape and especially of the St. Hedwig nursing home. This makes the farewell so difficult.
At the end of the service, the Superior General thanked the sisters and especially the last Mother Superior of the convent, Sr. Felicitas Pöller, for their faithful and blessed service. She wished her and the other two sisters God’s blessing for their new beginning in a new environment. As a symbol of this, she presented Sr. Felicitas with an icon of an angel with the wish that it would be a good companion for her. The Superior General also thanked all the staff, residents, priests, and friends who have always stood by our sisters with advice and active help during this long period. She said, “Although we are closing the religious community in this house today, our mission does not end. We will remain connected to you in the future and pray for you and this place, so that it may continue to be a place of faith, love, and mutual care.”
After the Mass, a small reception was held for all the sisters and guests, and there was a lively exchange of ideas and many memories of past times were refreshed.
May God’s blessings continue to accompany us all.
